East Sussex, Medway and Norfolk are Councils of the Week

Local Government Minister Brandon Lewis with his series celebrating excellence in our Town Halls

The first two are East Sussex and Medway councils, who are working together to develop proposals for a shared regional communications agency for public sector communications. The proposed shared service would provide communications, marketing and engagement services to the two councils, other councils and public sector organisations in the region.

The proposals will build on Medway Council's existing award-winning communications and marketing team and East Sussex's ambitious vision for improving communications and engagement with its residents. By working together, the two councils will be able to bring real, cost-effective results for local people.

My final Champion Council for this week is Norfolk County Council, who have found £8million of one-off spending for the 2013-14 budget. The money has come from a number of sources, including investment returns and government grants and will be spent on a number of areas including support for vulnerable children and families; school improvements and highways schemes.

The council is also undertaking a comprehensive review of council functions and managerial arrangements to ensure that the council is properly equipped to meet any future financial challenges.

Too often, local authorities live in the here and now, with little thought for the future. It is fantastic to see Norfolk County Council taking sensible steps for the future to ensure that services are protected for residents, no matter what happens.